Here I Am
by trekker4life
Summary: A single piece of paper has the power to change their lives. Royai, Post-Promised Day.


**_Disclaimer: I own no part of the series_** **Fullmetal Alchemist** ** _, nor do I own any part of the song_** **Here I am** ** _, as performed by Bryan Adams._**

 ** _~~FMA~~FMA~~_**

Six months after the defeat of Father and the homunculi, life had returned to normal, or nearly so. The repairs in Central and the other affected areas were nearly complete. The delegation to Ishval was nearly ready to set out. Doctor Marcoh had been able to use the last Philosopher's Stone to repair both Jean Havoc's spine injury and restore Roy Mustang's sight, although that had exhausted the stone's power and both had required time to fully regain what they had lost. Havoc had needed several weeks of physical therapy, but was now only using a cane.

General Grumman kept the title of Furher throughout this recovery period and just summoned the newly promoted Major General Mustang to his office...

Roy knocked on the Furher's door, a little uncertain. While Grumman was a fine officer (and much, _much_ less corrupt than his predecessors), getting a summons from the leader of the country on a Friday evening was a little disconcerting.

"Enter."

Roy opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. He turned to the Furher and saluted. "You called for me, sir?"

Grumman smiled and waved his hand for Roy to relax. "Sit down, boy," he said.

Roy did, settling himself down in the chair opposite the Furher. "Well, now..." the Furher began. "You have your team assembled to leave for Ishval in a week, am I right?" Roy nodded. "Yes, sir, I do."

"In that case," said Grumman, sliding a sheet of paper across his desk for Roy to take. "You might be interested in _this_. It was just finished this afternoon."

Roy frowned and took the paper. Reading it, his frown morphed into a look of disbelief. His hand started to shake slightly as he looked back up at the Furher. "Is this real?" he asked.

The Furher was grinning and he had a twinkle in his old eyes. "Yes, it is. As long as the relationships do not affect the duties of either party, they are no longer a sole cause for discharge or court martial." The Furher paused, smiling even wider at the now incredulous look on Roy's face.

"I think that the two of you have proven yourselves able to do so. Now, that's all. You are dismissed, Major General. I do not want to see you or her in these buildings until your team is ready to leave."

Roy jumped to his feet, snapping a salute. "Yes, sir; thank you, sir." He opened the door to leave, but stopped and turned back at the sound of Grumman's voice again.

"And Roy?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Welcome to the family."

 _Here I am, this is me  
There's nowhere else on Earth I'd rather be  
Here I am, it's just me and you  
Tonight we make our dreams come true_

Roy slammed on the brakes as he pulled into the parking spot near his apartment. Well, technically it was Riza's, but he had moved in (at her insistence) during both of their recoveries after the war and had never moved back out. He turned the car off and sat there, still trying to absorb the life-changing news he held in his hand.

Maybe life-changing wasn't quite the word for it. He and Riza had been at each other's sides for years; they worked much better together than apart. Maybe all this would do was make it official. He shook his head. He was over-thinking things, as usual.

Roy got out of the car and headed up the flight of stairs to the apartment. Riza was settled in the living room, curled up in their big overstuffed armchair and reading a book with Black Hayate next to her, but looked up when he entered.

"What did Grandfather want?" she asked. Roy slipped off his overcoat and shoes before walking over to her. "Well...he wanted to check on the progress of our team for Ishval...and to give me this." He handed her the (now crumpled) sheet of paper.

Riza took the paper and read it through, her expression unknowingly mirroring Roy's. She stood up, dislodging Hayate and letting her book fall to the floor.

"He's serious?" she asked. Roy brushed a hand through his hair. "Yup. And told me he doesn't want to see either of us around Headquarters until we leave for Ishval."

Roy stepped closer and placed his arms around her. "So, what do you say?"

Riza grinned and leaned in, placing her forehead against his. "What do you think?" she asked.

 _Here we are, we've just begun  
And after all this time, our time has come  
Yeah, here we are, still goin' strong  
Right here in the place where we belong_

A quick call to Fuery and Black Hayate was taken care of. Another few moments and their bags were packed. A short car ride found the two in a small town, just outside Central. There, they found a court official (still on duty at ten in the evening on a Friday) who could preside and make their dream a reality. A brilliant kiss later and they were off to the local inn for a few nights alone.

Roy and Riza spent their time in the town both enjoying each other's private company and exploring the quaint feel of the place. The opportunity to have time to themselves and to not have to worry about any immediately pressing business (or potential world-ending conspiracies) was too valuable to pass up.

All too soon, though, their time away was up and they needed to return to Central to prepare for their departure. On their way back, however, they stopped at the local jewelry to purchase a simple set of matching silver bands. As they slipped them onto each other's fingers, Roy couldn't resist leaning down and kissing her _again_. He wasn't sure he could ever resist now.

The day of their departure dawned bright and clear. Grumman was there to see them off, along with the Armstrong siblings, Madame Christmas, and most of their friends from Central. Grumman and Madame Christmas could not miss the relaxed, contented looks in the eyes of their two charges – one glance at their hands confirmed it. Christmas caught Grumman's eye and smiled.

The rest of Mustang's team, however, weren't so quiet with their reactions. Fuery brought Black Hayate over to Riza and watched as she knelt to scratch the dog's head. A flash of light caught his gaze. "Major Hawkeye...is that what I think it is?" he asked. His question caught the attention of the others, who looked around, curious what he was talking about.

Riza stood and set her hand – her left hand – on Roy's arm, so the gathered friends couldn't fail to see her new ring. She nodded.

There was an explosion of sound from their friends – Havoc, Rebecca, and Alex Armstrong were among the loudest. But amid the congratulations (and a few bits of "Without letting us know?! How could you?!"), Roy and Riza just looked at one another.

The road that led them to this point had not been easy. But now, there was a new world, a new adventure, and nothing standing in their way.

 _Here I am, next to you_  
 _And suddenly the world is all brand new_  
 _Here I am, here I am, where I'm gonna stay_  
 _Now there's nothin' standin' in our way_

 ** _~~FMA~~FMA~~_**

 ** _Yeah, I meant to write something for Royai Day (yesterday), but didn't get inspiration until this evening. So, hopefully you enjoyed this little, (late) Royai Day bit. It is also my first Royai fic, but I think I did okay._**

 ** _I didn't put the exact wording of the paper in here, but given this is a Royai fic, I didn't think you needed it (a basic repeal of the fraternization rules). Also, I promoted both Roy and Riza two ranks (Colonel to Major General; First Lieutenant to Major)._**

 ** _Please let me know what you think – thanks!_**

 ** _Trekker_**


End file.
